Loose to Gain
by Sabith
Summary: They say that nothing comes without its price, good or bad. You must always loose to gain, but to what extent is that true? And are the rewards ever worth the loss? Multichap about Cloud joining SOLDIER, with a tragic and surprising conclusion. Ongoing st


_Loose to Gain _  
_By: Sabith _

_Disclaimer: I Sabith own no rights to any of the FFVII characters only the rights to my own OC's, nor am I receiving any form of profit from the creation of this story apart from the satisfaction of writing it. _

Chapter One: Orientation 

'_So this is Shin-Ra' _Cloud thought as he once again tried to get a better view of the crowded room. To be honest, it had looked far more impressive from the outside and Cloud found himself slightly disappointed. Though, Cloud reminded himself he had yet to see most of the infamous building. He had only just arrived in Midgar that morning, if you could call the unholy hour of three AM _morning_… Before making his way up to the Shin-Ra HQ from the train station where he had been all but abandoned, Cloud set out in hopes of finding a café. Food had always helped Cloud wake up, and today he figured coffee would play a major role as well. It hadn't taken him long to find a place, however it had taken him a while to find an empty seat, apparently Midgar started it's day before the sun even considered rising. By the time Cloud left the little café, that he now new to be 'Mama Mog's Bed and Breakfast', it was four thirty AM. Cloud knew it wouldn't take him more then twenty minutes to reach the Shin-Ra building from where he was in town, as he had spent many long hours studying any bit of information about Midgar he could get, maps included. Since Shin-Ra didn't open until five AM Cloud decided to take his time and look around a little. The city was unnaturally bright for his early hour and Cloud found himself fascinated by the sea of bright colures that lit the streets. Cloud finally reached the entrance to the enormous building with only five minutes to spare, having stopped numerous times along the way to 'Ooh' and 'Ahh' at expensive and exotic trinkets behind darkened store windows. Taking in his surroundings, Cloud was amazed to see what looked like hundreds of other boys scattered around the property. Several were either still wrapped in, or rolling up their sleeping bags, having evidently spent the night.

"Will the recruits for the SOLDIER program please follow me," said a feminine voice from somewhere near the front of the mob where Cloud assumed the doors were located. Most of the group stood up or turned to face the woman but some remained sitting and Cloud noticed tuffs of vibrant red hair peeking out from behind a weathered blanket still resting on the ground. Cloud silently wondered why the others were here if not to join SOLDIER, but his question didn't go unanswered for long as the woman continued to speak. "The rest of you will wait here, a representative from the TURK's will be out to speak with you shortly." With that said the woman turned on her heel and headed back inside, a herd of SOLDIER hopefuls hot on her trail.

Finally after what seemed like and eternity of waiting in the hot, over crowded reception area, the line ahead of him broke and he could see a large wooden desk covered in papers. Walking up to it he gave a warm, if not slightly tired smile to the secretary seated behind it.

"Welcome to Shin-Ra," the woman greeted, returning his smile. "Please take a seat over there and fill out these forms, when you are done return them to me and I will instruct you on what to do from there." Cloud took the small pile of offered forms from the woman and took a seat at the empty table she had motioned to. Most of the information requested seemed standard such as, age and birth date, place of origin, measurements ect, but some of the questions seemed a little odd, asking things like, do you prefer cremation or burial. However, figuring that each question was significant he answered them as best he could, once finished, he double checked to make sure he had not left anything blank and then headed back to where the secretary was seated. Cloud handed her the completed papers and she directed him to a door leading to a separate room at the opposite end of the reception area. This room seemed much larger then the first and was filled with rows of chairs, and a podium at the front. There were already a large amount of people seated in the room and Cloud tried to sit in a less populated section.

It wasn't long before the rest of the available seats were filled and a loud murmur could be herd as the cadets chatted nervously about what was going on. A movement at the front of the room drew Cloud's attention, he watched curiously as nine figures made their way into the room through a small door directly opposite to the door they had entered through and stood in the shadows created by a large overhanging balcony. The volume in the room slowly began to dissipate as more people noticed the figures at the front of the room. Once everyone was silent a large man dressed in a light grey suit stepped up to the podium.

"Good morning and welcome. I am president Shin-Ra and I am pleased to see so many determined faces. Shin-Ra is a very proud company only has room for the best; it is obvious that you all feel that you would be a benefit to this company, else you wouldn't be here. Now, speaking of the best, I would like to introduce you to some of the most powerful and skilled people Shin-Ra has to offer. Vice president, Rufus Shin-Ra." A slim man dressed in an immaculate white suit stepped forward into the light, a coy smile playing on his lips. He inclined his head slightly toward the crowed of cadets as way of greeting then stepped back into the shadows.

"Scarlett, Head of the Weapons Department," boomed president Shin-Ra's loud voice once again. This time it was a woman dressed in a form fitting red dress that stepped forward. She bowed shallowly then stepped back once more.

"Commander Veld, Head of the TURKS." A tall man with a stern looking face and a black suit stepped forward, nodded curtly then retreated back into the shadows.

"Professor Hojo, Head of the Science Department." A man with a cruel face came forward. His long greasy black hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and the lab coat he wore brushed his ankles. He gave an evil smirk before stepping back and Cloud could see his thick glasses glinting every so often as they caught little bits of light. The president's speech continued as he introduced several more department heads, Palmer who was Head of the Space Development Department, Heidegger, Head of Public Maintenance and Order Division, and Reeve, Head of Urban Development.

"And Sephiroth, General of the Shin-Ra army." Cloud barley noticed that this time it was the president who stepped back, allowing Sephiroth to stand before the podium. He was dressed in full battle attire, his long silver hair falling gently behind him. Cloud could hardly believe his eyes, Sephiroth, his idol was standing barley fifteen feet from him.

"Congratulations on taking your first steps towards becoming SOILDER. Do not be fooled, the tasks and challenges that lay ahead of you are by no means easy, requiring patience, dedication and skill in order to be successful. However you are not in this alone, your instructors will be there to help you if they can, but do not think that they will baby you or carry you through the classes. Each semester you will have four courses, each two hours in length. You will start your days with breakfast which is served in the mess hall at seven AM. Once finished you will head to your first class, then to your second. At twelve PM you will be given an hour off for lunch, then you will attend your last two classes. Your last class of the day ends at five PM and dinner is served at six. All meals are to be eaten in the mess hall, that means no food in the corridors or your dorms. Each semester is five months long, at the end of each you will be writing, or otherwise completing an exam for each course. These exams are worth fifteen percent of your final grade. If you fail a class you must repeat it, if you fail again you will be given two options. One, you can pack your things and go home, or two; you can start again from the very beginning. However, if you pass all of your courses you will advance to the next level. You will be receiving your class schedule at the end of the orientation speech, attached to which is the room number and key card for your dorms. There are two people to a dorm and since you are all first year cadets you will be sharing with older students. They will help show you around the grounds and give you tips on how to be successful. Your uniforms will be delivered to your dorms tomorrow, try them on and alert a receptionist immediately if they don't fit so that we can get you new ones. You will be expected to wear your uniforms at all times, with the exceptions of weekends and periods of leave. Classes begin in two days, I advise you use your free time to look around and get to know where your classes are located. There are two tables located on either side of the room, if your last name begins with a letter between A-M, line up in front of the table on the right. If your last name falls between the letters N-Z, line up in front of the table on the left. Once you have received your schedule you may go to your dorms. Dismissed." With that the General stepped back and all of the officials exited the room. the room burst to life as cadets scrambled to get to the appropriate line and Cloud was grateful that he had been sitting near the left table so his wait wouldn't be too long. The minutes ticked by as one by one the people in front of Cloud left, papers in hand, in search of their rooms. After about fifteen minuets Cloud stepped up to the small pine table.

"Strife, Cloud," he stated simply and the woman nodded absently and she ruffled through the cards. Once she had found the object of her search she handed it to Cloud. He thanked her and pushed his way out of the room in the direction of the now strangely empty reception area. Relishing in the fact that he had finally escaped the mob of people Cloud looked down at his schedule.

'First Class. 8:00am - 10:00am

Mandatory Class - The History of the Shin-Ra Electric Power Company.

Instructor - Corporal Jenson.

Second Class. 10:00 am - 12:00pm

Mandatory Class - Basic Sword Technique.

Instructor - First Class SOLIDER Zackary Fair.

Lunch. 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Third Class. 1:00pm - 3:00pm

Mandatory Class - Basic Materia Usage.

Instructor - Sergeant Mitsuki.

Fourth Class. 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Mandatory Class - The History and Usage Basic Military Tactics.

Instructor - Lieutenant Greaves.'

Cloud felt a jolt of excitement race through him; he was actually going to learn sword fighting. His eyes traveled down a little further and spotted his housing information. Room 13, complex four. After about twenty minutes of wandering around in utter confusion, Cloud found his room. He turned his schedule over and located a small envelope that had been stapled to it. Ripping open the seal, he pulled out the keycard and slid it through the scanner. There was a gentile click as the lock released itself and the door slid open. The room was small and bland yet still managed to feel cozy. There were two beds, each on a separate side of the room, a small footlocker that resided at the foot of each, a short night table that sat on the left of each bed, and a door that lead to a tiny bathroom. On each of the night tables was a standard military issue clock. Cloud glanced at the face of the one nearest him, it read 16:20, that left him about forty minutes left until dinner. Setting his bag down on the nearest bed, he decided to put his spare time to good use. Opening the bag he began to remove the items and carefully put them away, it wasn't a long task as he hadn't brought much. When he had finished he flopped onto the firm surface of the mattress, intent on spending the remaining time before dinner resting. He jumped at the sound of the lock to his room clicking and the door sliding open, his roommate must have arrived.

**End of Chapter One.**

**To be continued.**

**A/N: **This is a story that I have been planning for quite some time now, unfortunately due to all the school work that is expected of me I won't be able to update on a regular basis, but I will update. I apologies in advance for any inconvenience that the sporadic updates may cause and thank you for your patience.

Sabith

5


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